1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a housing assembly for equipment components. In particular, the present invention provides a housing assembly designed to be functionally and integrally coupled with furniture such as cabinets and desks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a chassis for holding equipment components is known. Depending upon the nature of the equipment, the components may be printed circuit boards, storage disks, ventilators, loudspeakers, cooling units, pumps, gear units, etc. Generally, the individual components are held in the chassis by mechanical fixtures whereby the components are arranged in a specific fixed position relative to other components. Such a chassis generally consists of a frame with a number of partitions in which the components are fitted. Typically, the frame itself is attached to an external housing of the device.
Metal chassis are often complicated and expensive to design and assemble. Bolts, screws, rivets, or other attachment means are needed to secure components to a metal chassis. Metal chassis are rigid and therefore require precision machining of the chassis as well as the components attached to the chassis.
The introduction of plastic components has further complicated chassis design. Plastic components require electrical shielding. For example, plastic components of an electrical device may need to be covered with conductive material. Alternatively metal plates or foil must be attached to the chassis. For these reasons, it has proven to be structurally and mechanically complicated, as well as expensive, to assemble a chassis having plastic components.
Plastic chassis have been developed to overcome some of the shortcomings of metal chassis and the difficulties presented by plastic components. Typically, plastic chassis are designed for a specific device, such as a computer or an electronic measuring instrument. The chassis is formed by a support unit made of plastic that is shaped to match the outer shapes of the components. The components are held in the chassis by positive locking without attachment elements such as screws and rivets and thereby overcome some of the shortcomings of metal chassis.
A plastic chassis may comprise a lower part and an upper part. Components are fitted into the lower part of the support unit and the upper part is placed over the lower part. The components fit snugly into the receptacle areas created by recesses in the lower and upper chassis areas. In some embodiments, the upper part and the lower part are hinged to each other along one edge so that the upper part can be swivelled upwards to permit access to the components fitted in the lower part. A plastic chassis can be configured so that recesses exist at different levels, with one level being located above the other. This allows for positioning components one above each other. Often, a plastic chassis has ventilation ducts that are molded into the plastic. A ventilator is located in one of the ventilation ducts in such a way that the flow of air produced by the ventilator is directed over components that need to be cooled.
Although plastic chassis are an improvement over metal chassis, there remains a need for an improved housing assembly which can be integrated into typical spaces and furniture so as to provide for quick and easy access while maintaining an aesthetically appealing environment. Often, precision equipment such as that typically housed in the above described plastic chassis must be stored in specially designated rooms or areas because of the size and shape of the housing. The use of such specialized rooms is an inefficient use of space and does not provide for quick and easy access to the equipment.
Further, current chassis cannot easily be integrated into typical office spaces and furniture. Generally, equipment may be placed on tabletops or on the floor and cannot be integrated with the furniture found in a home, office, or even laboratory. Such shortcomings in the art lead to conspicuous and random placement of equipment which is aesthetically unappealing as well as an inefficient use of space.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved housing assembly which can be integrated into typical spaces and furniture so as to provide for quick and easy access while maintaining an aesthetically appealing environment.